


We Finally Meet Again

by Foxtale



Series: Reunited [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cloud Strife Needs a Hug, F/M, Friendship/Love, Internal Conflict
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24323746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxtale/pseuds/Foxtale
Summary: A scene between Cloud and Tifa after they resurface from the lifestream. Cloud has a lot to come to terms with all at once, and Tifa is there to support him as always.This is the first in a series that focusses on 'Real' Cloud, post the Lifestream event and points in the OG where Remake could inject some Cloti goodness, with Cloud as his true self.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Series: Reunited [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769446
Comments: 10
Kudos: 120





	We Finally Meet Again

Cloud opens his eyes and squints into the glare of the sun. An indistinct form moves to block it, a familiar face with a curtain of ebony hair leaning over him. The sunlight wraps her in a halo, blurring her edges.

He frowns in confusion.

“An angel?” he murmurs, voice raspy from disuse. He reaches up to touch her cheek, to see if she is solid.

The beauty shakes her head.

“Cloud, it’s me. Tifa. Come back to me. Please. Don’t tell me it was all a dream.”

“Tifa?”

Suddenly, everything jerks into focus and he meets warm garnet eyes, filled with concern. A look he has become accustomed to from this particular pair.

His first instinct is to pull his hand away and apologise. But before he can, she covers it with her own and tilts her head into his palm.

“That’s right,” she replies, “Do you remember?”

Cloud swallows. He does. He remembers Tifa, the object of his lifelong affections, exploring his mind, finding what makes him tick, his wants, his dreams, his motivations. The majority of which, are her. And now she knows.

He nods to her mutely.

Relief clear on her face, she releases his hand and sits back, allowing him space to push himself up to a sitting position. All the while, he’s searching for a cool response, an easy brush off or redirection that would normally come to him with ease. But now there's no pretence, no persona to uphold, it’s just him, open and bare for her to see. His face is incredibly hot, eyes unable to meet her inquisitive gaze. His usual mask, the poker face that gives little or nothing away, has also deserted him it seems. His heart is racing, and he can feel himself sweating profusely under her scrutiny. Even though he’s already soaked in mako from the lifestream.

“Did _you_ get us to shore?” he asks, suddenly noticing their whereabouts and Tifa’s wet clothes and hair, realising that after helping him piece his mind back together and enduring dangerous levels of mako exposure, this strong and wonderful woman was still able to pull his limp body to the surface and drag him to the beach.

She nods, loose tendrils of dark hair clinging to the side of her face. How many times would she prove that she didn’t need him to be her hero, by doing all the saving herself?

“Are you ok?”

“I’m good,” she answers, adding with a shy smile, “Now that you’re back.”

A lump forms in his throat and Cloud shakes his head in awe. Then with a sudden surge of emotion, he pulls her into a tight embrace.

“Thank you,” he breathes into her shoulder.

Tifa tenses at first, surprised by his sudden and uncharacteristic outburst. But after a moment, she returns his hold just as tightly.

“Any time,” she replies, her voice cracking a little.

“I – I think I would have been stuck there forever if you hadn’t…” _believed in me_. He can’t bring himself to say it.

“You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”

Cloud finds himself shaking, trying to hold back the feelings he’s been able to ignore for so long, that now insistently call for his attention. The loss of five years of his life, spent trapped in his own mind, drowning in endless torment, the loneliness of it. When Tifa had found him, feeble and broken in Midgar, he'd caught a glimpse of the surface, but hadn't been strong enough to reach for it. Instead he'd thrown up a wall and projected an image of the man he wanted to be. He'd built himself a fortress of self-loathing to hide in, locking away the memories and grief that would tear his heart open.

Now, like a steam roller, it hits him all at once.

A gasp of pain escapes him, and he clings to Tifa. He doesn’t want her to see him so weak.

“It’s ok Cloud, let it out.”

And he does. The banks of the reservoir have cracked, and now it all comes flooding out. He thinks about his mother’s unconditional love, and the strength she had to raise him on her own. Zack, the loyal friend who selflessly dragged his unresponsive shell all the way to Midgar, sacrificing himself in the process. Aerith’s quiet understanding and unwavering determination to tease his real self to the surface. All of them had believed in him, and he’d let all of them down.

Tifa rocks him gently, rubbing calming circles on his back, as they hold each other on the sand.

He’d failed Tifa too, countless times. She was only alive because her martial arts master had gotten her out of Nibelheim. It wasn’t Cloud who saved her. Even when he had the chance to redeem himself with Sector 7, he’d still been unable to stop her home being destroyed a second time.

Her hand glides to the back of his neck and she plays with his hair in soothing motions.

“I can only imagine what you’re going through,” she murmurs in his ear, “But I’m here for you. We can get through this together.”

Cloud’s heart clenches at that and he gives a small nod against her shoulder as he gulps for air. The knowledge that she still believes in him gives him strength. The fact that she knows he’s a fraud and all kinds of messed up, and she still hasn’t run screaming gives him hope.

He wipes his eyes before releasing his hold on her, not wanting her to see the evidence. “Sorry,” he mumbles, bending his knee to rest his arm on it in a position that feels familiar.

Tifa shakes her head, “It’s ok to cry, Cloud. You taught me that.”

Cloud laughs weakly, “And here I thought you were the teacher.”

She chuckles, “The pupil becomes the master.”

“TIFAAAAA? SPIKEY?” They hear Barret holler from nearby.

“Over here!” Tifa stands and waves, and Barret slowly comes into view, climbing across the dunes. When he spots them, he calls out to the others and starts running over.

Cloud gets to his feet, feeling shaky and unbalanced. How long had he been in a mako induced coma for this time? The apprehension of facing the others, telling them the truth about himself, weighs heavily on him. How humiliating, to discover that he isn’t the hero he’s made everyone believe he is. He almost wishes he could hide behind that façade again. But he can’t.

It’s time to face up to who he is.

As if sensing his anxiety, Tifa wraps her hand around his and squeezes.

She smiles at him warmly. “We can do it. One step at a time Cloud, okay?”

**Author's Note:**

> The poor guy is going to need a lot of support when he comes to terms with his true self. Hope this wasn't too angsty! He'll get better as the series continues, I promise :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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